She Walked Away: Vegas Style
by numba 1 CSI lover
Summary: Hanna Guthrie had always been Nick's best friend. So, when she walked away, his life was never the same... songfic to the song 'She Walked Away' by Barlow Girl.
1. She Walked Away

Okay, I know I still have my original 'She Walked Away' story to work on, but i heard this song, and was like **"OMG, I'm totally writing a story about it!"** So I did, and this is the result. It sort of leans towards Nick/OC, but there are no acutally pairings. Please, review, but be kind... anyway, enjoy!

* * *

**_She couldn't take one more day  
Home was more her prison now_**

Hanna knew what she was getting into when it started; she just didn't know how much it would hurt. And that was a lot. The pain was hurting her every single day, and she had no idea what to do; she just wished she could leave sometimes, and never come back. She couldn't really understand how it all started, he wasn't like this at first, but as his job got more stressful, something happened along the way. She should've just left the beginning of it all. Why she didn't, she didn't really understand; maybe… maybe she had hopes that it was all just a bad nightmare, something that would just go away with time… but it never left. It only got worse, and worse, and now it was haunting her every day.

She'd never admit it to anyone, not even Nick, who'd been her best friend since their diapers days, but she was scared. She was scared that one day, he'd go too far, and she, or one of her friends that she so desperately loved, would get severely hurt… or even worse. And she couldn't bare to think of what she would do if one of her friends got hurt because of her…

**_Independence_****_ called out  
She had to get it_**

There was a small window in the room where she was located, and upon hearing the faint noise of a car pass by, she turned her head, and looked out of it. The open road was so inviting, she had yearned to go, and run free. The open road, the clean, fresh air. She wanted it all; but he was holding her back, like he had so many times before. Suddenly, Hanna heard the car park in the driveway, and the door slam shut. She quietly waited for him to barge through the front door, ready to rant about what ever happened at work; she knew the routine. She knew it all to well.

'HANNA!" A voice boomed through the house as the door swung opened, "I'M HOME!"

_Let the torture begin…_ she thought as she slowly got up from her seat, and headed into the living room. There he was, sitting in the lounge chair, looking sweet and innocent. A small smile crossed his face, as he green eyes looking at her lovingly, as if he really did care; and maybe he truly did… but she would never know for sure. Those eyes could lie while under a lie detector, and no one would ever know…

**_A fight was all she needed  
To give her reason_**

"Hanna…" he said sweetly, "I need to ask you something…"

"No…" she whispered.

"No," she repeated a few seconds latter, much louder then before, "What ever it is you want, no, I'm not giving it to you…"

A frown appeared on his face, and he stood up. Hanna could see the fire burning in his eyes, and she knew he wasn't happy. "What did you say?"

"I… I sa… said no, wh… what ever it is you … you want, I'm not giving it to you…" she stammered. Maybe this was a bad idea, standing up to him like that. She knew what he was capable of, and she knew it was best to stay out of his way… but there was something inside of her, something that just snapped, like a twig, begging to be let free.

"NO!" she screamed all of a sudden. "I'm sick and tired of doing everything you want me to do; I don't want to be your little servant girl any more!"

It happened so fast; Hanna barley remembered him punching her in the face. Her eye felt sore, and she knew it would bruise in a matter of seconds, as she held her hand to her eye, tears almost forming in her crystal blue eyes.

"Don't you dare use that tone of voice with me, EVER again." With that, he stormed down the hallway, Hanna knowing full well that he was coming back soon, and he would be dangerous.

**_She slammed the door with no goodbye  
And knew that it was time_**

She looked in the mirror; saw the bruise forming around her eye. This was it; she didn't want to deal with it any more. She was going to leave for good, and never come back. She'd be able to start over, and leave her past behind her. Leaving Las Vegas was the best option; leaving it all – leaving him – behind.

She quickly got up, and grabbed her coat and purse. He was still in the other room, but she didn't care if he knew, or not. She was finally picking up the courage to leave this house – this life! – for good, and no one was stopping her; especially not him. She rushed through the front door, and ran to her baby-blue volkswagen convertible. She pulled her keys out of her bag, and quickly unlocked the door, practically yanking it open.

Finally, she was out on the open road, with nothing to keep her down; she was finally free to do what she wanted to do, with out restrictions. She could finally be her own person. With the top down, the wind rustled through her hair. She looked down at her bag, and saw her cell phone sitting on the seat next to it. Shrugging, she continued on her way, wanting nothing more then to take in the peace and quiet.

**_Now she's driving too fast  
She didn't care to glance behind_**

She figured she was probably driving a lot faster then she was supposed to, but she really didn't care. For the first time in a long while, she really didn't care about anything. She was free; finally free. As small smiled appeared on her face as the wind continued to run through her long, blonde hair, causing it to fly all over the place. A mixture of happiness and sadness flooded through her body, as the tears started falling from her face, and landing on the steering wheel.

What am I doing…? She thought as she drove down the open road. Her world was crazy right now, and she was just doing another crazy thing. For a moment, she briefly had second thoughts about it all. But she knew she didn't ever want to go back to that dreaded place; she made a promise to herself right then and there that she wasn't even going to give in another glace back. Too preoccupied with life, she didn't really pay attention to anything else around her.

Life was going by way to fast for her, and she knew right then and there, that this was the best choice for her. No going back, no more seconds thoughts. This was it. No more.

**_And through her tears she laughed  
It's time to kiss the past goodbye_**

And, even though with all the sadness, and pain, she figured she'd miss the place a lot. She had memories, most of them with Nick, in Las Vegas. They had been through everything as children, and upon graduating from high school, the two friends decided to finally go there separate ways, only to meet in Las Vegas, four years latter, and the two took the city by storm. It was strange, really, how everyone thought that she and Nick would make a cute couple; ever since they were little children. But she and Nick had both agreed that they would only stay best friends, nothing more, and it had stayed that way for their whole lives; though, Hanna would only admit to herself, that, maybe she was falling for her best friend, just a little…

Hannah let out a laugh through all the tears; it wouldn't matter now, she was leaving. She couldn't help but repeat that statement over and over again in her head; no matter how many times she said it, she still couldn't grasp the concept that she was finally free. A small smile appeared on her lips, and she decided to take one last look back, blowing a small kiss in it's direction.

**_I'm finally on my own  
Don't try to tell me no_**

Sometime down the road, she noticed that her phone had started to ring in the passenger's seat. She quickly reached down, and picked it up to see who was calling her; it was Nick.

"Nick, what do you want…?" She asked as she flipped the phone open. She didn't mean to sound so harsh, but it just sort of popped out.

"God, Hanna, where are you?" He asked, clearly worried, "Jason called, said you left in the middle of a talk, for no reason. Are you okay?"

Tears started falling from her eyes; she couldn't expect herself to lie to her best friend… but she had to, for both of their safeties.

"Just driving around the city for a bit," she lied, "to cool down."

"Why? Did something happen? Are you okay?"

"No, Nick, nothing happed. I'm fine. Honestly…" She tried so hard to keep her voice straight, and not cracked. She hated when she cried over the phone with Nick, because he could always tell, even at the slightest of noise.

"Hanna, he didn't hurt you again, did he?!" She could hear the urgency in his voice as he talked, and it sadden Hanna to know that she was leaving behind the only good thing that ever happened to her.

"No... He... He…" She let out a huge sob as she held the phone to her mouth. The tears started falling down her face again, and this time all she could do was let them fall. It was nice to hear Nick soothing voice calm her down.

**There's so much more for me  
Just watch what I will be**

"Shh… tell me where you are, and I'll come get you…"

Before anything else could be said, all of a sudden, Hanna felt her car slam into something else. Taking in her surroundings, she saw that she had hit another car, causing her to go flying in the air, finally landing upside down. Although wearing her seatbelt, her head hit the steering wheel, causing her to blank out during all the chaos. The last thing she remembered hearing, was Nick's voice calling out to her…

**CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI**

"Hanna! Hanna!"

Something was wrong; Nick knew it. While talking with the young woman on the phone, she heard a loud crash, a scream that he knew all to well as Hanna's, then nothing. Not knowing what to do, he did the one thing that seemed logical. He quickly closed his phone, re-opening it, and typed in a few numbers, before impatiently waiting for the person on the other end to pick up.

"Grissom here…"

"Gris, It's Nick. I think something seriously bad just happened to Hanna, and I don't know what to do."

"Nick calm down. Tell me what happen."

And so Nick told him what had happened. Grissom sat in his chair, and just listened as Nick told the story, paying close attention.

"Don't worry, Nick" he said when the Texan was done, "We'll find her. I promise."

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(1,905)


	2. The Aftermath

_**She walked away  
Couldn't say why she was leaving  
She walked away  
She left all she had believed in  
She walked away**_**  
**

Three days; three days, and they hadn't found anything. Hanna was somewhere, out in Las Vegas, and he couldn't do anything about it. He hadn't been to work since he last talked to Hanna on the phone. Nick gave a small sigh as he sat at home. In his hands, a silver framed picture, of him, and Hanna in high school. All their friends were around them, and they looked genuinely happy. A small smile appeared on the Texan's face as he thought about their childhood; everyone was always saying "Oh, you two look so cute together," or "You and Hanna should start dating, you'd make such a cute couple," but the two had decided early on that they'd be nothing but friends. But, some where, along the line, Nick started falling for his best friend, hard. And he couldn't understand why she would just run away like that, with out telling anyone; especially with out telling him…

_Beep! Beep!_

Nick looked up from the picture, to find that his cell phone was wringing. Quickly, he pulled it open.

"Hello?" He said all to quickly.

"Nick, it's Grissom. I know today's part of your vacation time, but do you think you could come? We've got a busy night..."

"Yeah, sure…" He really didn't want to go; he wanted to be the first to know if anyone had found Hanna yet. But this was his job, he had to go back sometime; and plus, it would help him take his mind off of Hanna. He quickly got out of the chair, and set the picture back where it belonged. Grabbing his coat, he headed out the door.

_**Not a day goes by for the one she's left behind  
They're always asking why and thoughts of her consume their mind**__  
_

"Hey Nick," Greg said as he and the Texan walked out onto a crime scene. It scared him to see Nick like this; he was supposed to be strong, and optimistic, but Hanna had destroyed him. Of course, Greg didn't know Hanna as well as Nick did; though she did hang around the lab a lot, and Hanna had become a good friend to him. He had heard the story of what happened from Grissom, and it really didn't make any sense to him why she left. She had a good life here, good friends, and … Nick.

They quickly made it to the scene; two cars crashed into each other. Greg really didn't understand why they were called out to do it, but there was something about it that really didn't make Greg feel right. He pushed all thoughts of Hanna out of his mind, and he got ready to process the scene. But Nick just stood there, wide eyed in horror.

"Nick, you okay?" Greg asked. The Texan just stood there, not moving. "Nick…?"

"No," he finally said. He rushed towards the car that was flipped over; a baby-blue volkswagen convertible crashed into the ground. Greg watched as Nick got on the ground, looking underneath the car.

"Hanna! Hanna! Can you hear me?"

_**God please let her know  
The love we tried to show**_**  
**

Catherine frowned as she paced. She was currently in the hospital, with Nick and Greg. She couldn't' believe this was happening. Hanna had always been like a daughter to her; the young woman had confined in her what had been going on in her life, and Catherine took in upon herself to help the young woman steer in the right path; she was a part of the crime lab family, even if she didn't work there.

Now, the tears had started, and she faced herself away from Nick and Greg; she didn't want them to see that she was crying. Hadn't she helped Hanna? Was this all her fault? She wished she could tell Hanna that there were people who loved her; like herself, and Nick, Greg, and everyone else at the crime lab. They were her true family, and nothing would ever change that.

The tears started falling harder, and Catherine didn't know what else to do. She closed her eyes, and silently started to pray.

_Dear God,_

_Please, please don't let Hanna die. There are too many people that need her here, on Earth. Tell her that we love her, and that she needs to come back home, now. Please…_

She was too deep in her thoughts to hear anyone come up behind her, but when she opened her eyes, she found Nick standing next to her. He pulled the red-headed woman into a hug, and Catherine just buried her head into his chest, the tears still falling hard.

_**We'd promise anything  
If you'd just bring her home**__  
_

Sara stormed through the hospital, Grissom following closely behind her. When Nick had called her that they had found her, there was nothing Sara wanted to do more then to see Hanna awake. How could the young woman be so stupid? Sara took a deep breath. _It was an accident,_ she told herself, _nothing more, nothing less._

In all honest, the first time Sara met Hanna, she didn't like the girl to much. But Nick quickly became a friend, and Hanna was just part of the package deal, so she learned to managed, and soon, the girl was someone Sara trusted with everything. Sara could tell Hanna anything, and she knew it would never leave her mouth. Sara was just protective of her, like an older sister.

She finally arrived to where the secretary lady said that Hanna was located, and saw Greg sitting in a chair, his head in his hands, while Catherine and Nick were standing on the other side of the room, Nick giving Catherine a hug, while Catherine cried into his chest. A sad smiled appeared on Sara's face.

"Hey, how are you holding up, Nick?" She said in a soft, soothing voice. The young Texan just smiled at her, still holding Catherine in his arms.

"Hey, Catherine," she said, giving her attention to the red-head. "Let, me take you home… you look like you could use some sleep…"

"No," Catherine whispered, pulling herself away from Nick, "I'm fine, really…"

She whipped the tears away, and Sara knew she was going to be okay. They were all going to be okay in the end. Sara looked up at the ceiling.

_God, please,_ she started,_ Please, I'd do anything if you bring Hanna back to us… It's breaking us apart… _

_**She walked away  
Couldn't say why she was leaving  
She walked away  
She left all she had believed in  
She walked away**_

"Hanna…" she heard a soft voice. It was so familiar, and it seemed so inviting, that Hanna opened her eyes to see who it was. She was immediately greeted by a bright light shone into her eyes, causing her to squint. Once her eyes got used to the light, she found that she was in an all white room; no doors, no widow, nothing was in the room. She sat up a bit, looking around, until she heard the voice again.

"Hanna…" she looked to her side, and saw Warrick standing by her side, dressed in all while; shirt, pants, and shoes. A small frown appeared on her face as she looked at him.

"Warrick…?" All of a sudden, it was as if a light bulb came on in her head. "I'm dead, aren't I?" She asked.

"No… not yet, anyway… You have to be strong, Hanna. For everyone's sake…"

Hanna noticed a small frown appear on Warrick's face as he talked. His expressions were saddened, and Hanna could tell that he too, had gone through the same thing, only he … he didn't make it…

"Warrick, what's going on?"

"You'll find out soon enough, Hanna, you'll find out soon enough…"

_**Tell her we love her**_

_**Tell her she's wanted**_

Grissom was not one who easily showed emotions; especially in the love category. He was a serious type of person, who's life was focused on nothing but work, twenty-four seven. But when Hanna came into his life, he saw so much of himself, in her, but yet she had a different outlook on life. His life started to change, and he soon felt gratitude for the young girl, that he knew he could never repay.

"Excuse me; are any of you the family of Hanna Guthrie?" A doctor asked as he exited Hanna's room.

"We all are," Catherine said with out hesitation. The doctor looked skeptical, but upon looking at Catherine, he decided to let it slip.

"Well, I'm doctor Moore. First off, if you hadn't found her when you did, she'd probably have been a goner, but now it's hard to tell which way Hanna's going to go…"

Which way Hanna's going to go? The doctor made it sound like Hanna was in a tug of war match, not on the verge of life or death. It sickened Grissom as he listened to the doctor talk, only half paying attention. He mind was on other things; like Hanna…

Was she going to go be with Warrick? Were they all going to have two guardian angels watching over them now, instead of one? No, Grissom couldn't think like that, he had to positive.

"… you can go visit her, if you'd like… but only one person at a time, please."

Everyone's eyes went to Nick, and he went with out objections. After what seemed like hours (which in reality, was only a few minutes), Nick walked out of the room, and it was the next person's turn.

"Catherine… you should go next." Grissom said. Catherine shook her head.

"I… I don't think I'd be up to it, Grissom… I just can't bare to think of her like that…"

"Well, I think you or Greg should go," Sara said almost instantly, "I mean, you've both known her longer then I have…"

Grissom looked over at Greg, who just gave a small nod. He took a deep breath, and then headed into the room. He looked over at Hanna, seeing all sorts of tubes, and what no connected to her body. It made it him a bit sick, looking at it all, but he had to be strong.

"Hey… It's me, Grissom…" he whispered. He looked over her, waiting for a response.

"I know Nick already talked to you, but… but I just wanted to let you know that we all love you, Hanna. And that we want you back with us…" Grissom just stood there for what felt like forever, before he decided to leave.

"I'll come back tomorrow, I promise…" Grissom said, squeezing the young girl's hand, before heading out. He saw Greg and Nick, both sitting on the chairs across the room. _Where had Catherine and Sara gone? _He wondered.

"Sara took Catherine home," Nick said, as if reading his thoughts, "Catherine really looked like she couldn't take any more of it…"

_**One more thing God; tell her please come home  
Please come home  
**_

Everyone else had gone home for the night. But Nick couldn't; not while his best friend was sitting on her death bed. A small frown appeared on his face as he watched the nurses and doctor rush by. A sigh escaped his lips. He so desperately wanted to talk to his best friend; he always did that when he was worried, or upset. But what happens when your best friend is the one you're worried about, and you can't talk to her, because she might be dying.

"Sir, visiting hours are over." He looked up, and saw a young nurse looking down at him with a smile.

"I know, I know…" he said, looking towards the room where Hanna was lying, "… but do you think I could see her, just for a few minutes. She's my … girlfriend."

The woman looked skeptical, just as the doctor had before, but she looked him over once, figuring he was just a good friend worried about her, she said yes.

"Yeah, I guess… but just for a few minutes, okay? I could loose my job because of this…" She muttered as she walked away. A small smile appeared on Nick's face, as he rushed into the room.

"Hey, I know I came in earlier, but… I just wanted to see you again, before I went home… You know, Hanna, we've been best friend since… well, for ever. And I know we've had our ups and down, but who hasn't? And, I know we sort of have that brother/sister relation, but I really want something … I guess all I'm trying to say is… I guess, I'm falling for you; hard. And I know you probably don't feel the same way… but I just had to say it. I'm sorry."

He bent down, kissing her softly on the cheek, before leaving the room…

"Please come home, Hanna... please, come home."

**CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI**

"What? No, Warrick. You know I can't do that…" Hanna exclaimed as Warrick told her what needed to be done.

"It's the only way, Hanna… You know that."

"I know, but… please. I'll do anything, ANYTHING, else…"

"No Hanna, this needs to be done..."

And all of a sudden, there was a bright light, causing Hanna to close her eyes…

"Hanna…"

_**The choice is yours alone now  
Tell me how this story ends**_

_**

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**_Okay, so, pretty much like the last two lines say, tell me how you want the story to end? What do you think should happen? I'm totally going to write another story, continued after this, but I don't know what path it should take. It might take me a while to get the story up, because I'm going to work on my other story, 'Breakable,' but it will be up, I promise.

You can send what you want to happen through a PM, or post it on your review. (2,303)


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